Ncacc Plan Saved By Vote In Pen Argyl 6-2 Tally Clears College Budget

May 21, 1986|by PAUL MAY, The Morning Call

The Pen Argyl Area School Board voted 6-2 last night to adopt the 1986-87 operating budget of the Northampton County Area Community College, thus giving the college spending plan the five votes it needed from its sponsoring districts.

It was the Pen Argyl board that had cast the deciding negative vote in the first go-around of the budget and forced the NCACC board of trustees to come up with a new spending plan that cut the allocation of the sponsoring districts while raising the tuition for individual students by $1 per credit hour.

The budget had to have the approval of sponsoring districts by June 30 and only two other districts - Bethlehem Area and Easton Area - had yet to vote on the plan. Both had rejected the first budget.

Until last night, Wilson Area, Bangor Area, Northampton Area and Nazareth Area school boards had all approved the revised budget, while Saucon Valley rejected it.

Pen Argyl's share of the new NCACC budget is $88,384 or $4,005 less than the previous amount. Voting against it were directors Sarah Branham and Sherwood Roth, both of Wind Gap. Robert Hoch of Pen Argyl was absent.

The Pen Argyl board unanimously approved a new three-year contract with the support staff of the district that provides for a 16.5 percent pay raise. It also unanimously adopted the Eastern Northampton County Vocational- Technical School's operating budget.

The three-year contract with the support staff, members of the Pennsylvania School Support and Personnel Association Union, provides for a 6 percent salary increase in the first year, 5.5 in the second year and 5 percent in the final year.

The contract also modifies the leave provision to make it consistent with all employees and modifies the job posting and transfer provision, allowing posting of all vacancies.

The contract has already been ratified by the employees, including maintenance and custodial workers, secretaries, teachers aides and library assistants.

Pen Argyl's share of the $1,891,190 vo-tech school budget is estimated at $214,839.